


One is Silver, and the Other Gold

by changeabledestiny



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:22:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23413027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/changeabledestiny/pseuds/changeabledestiny
Summary: Penned for the Radiant Garden Family Exchange, gifted to Fortune_Maiden.Because found family is everything in this game, and please, just let them be happy!
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22
Collections: Radiant Garden Family Exchange





	One is Silver, and the Other Gold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fortune_Maiden](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fortune_Maiden/gifts).



> To Fortune_Maiden:
> 
> Virtual cookies if you can guess which song was playing for Demyx's meme. Thank you for the very detailed suggestions you gave me--I tried to incorporate as many as I could. Enjoy, and I hope we can collaborate sometime again in the future!
> 
> Destiny

One is Silver, and the Other Gold (for Fortune_Maiden)

Ienzo rolled over in bed. He stared at the gradual brightening of the sky through the small slit between the curtains. He was half-awake and just too tired to move yet. It was cozy. It was quiet. In the back of his mind, his various tasks and appointments already spooled away on an endless tape. He closed his eyes and did his best to push it aside.  
  
How annoying.

Most times, he took respite in those moments, unbothered by his responsibilities for just a little while longer. But Ienzo hadn’t slept well for several days. He’d lie awake until the exhaustion overtook him, or he would sleep fitfully. The dreams didn’t help. The hazy ones left him disoriented and groggy. Perhaps he’d forgotten something? But he hadn’t. The formless void fed him lies. The dreams that Ienzo did remember, the more vivid ones, were simply replays of what had been before. Their noble purpose, their misguided efforts, and the fall.

Ienzo knew Ansem the Wise would return. He was away more regularly to consult with their colleagues spread among the different worlds. In fact, he was due to come back tomorrow. Of course he’d be back--

 _He’s jealous of us. Jealous of you_ , came the response. _You’ve surpassed him, after all. We couldn’t have gotten this equipment without you._

Xehanort. Why was he here…? Where was he?

Another voice cut in. _He was nothing to begin with. We’ve made nothing but breakthroughs in our research. What we’ve done once defied all explanation and was considered out of mankind’s reach. But we did it! And then he just wants us to stop? A complete fool, and a hindrance!_

That was Even, for sure. Wherever he was. The light grew brighter. Was that crying? Chains rattling?  
  
_This one’s a little more resilient than I thought! Who’d have guessed. Most of ‘em lose consciousness at this point._ _Gotta admit, you pick ‘em good, Dilan._

_Let’s say I had a feeling. But Even is right. We’ve made great strides in our work just this week alone. Finally, we have the facilities and the freedom to do what we were meant to do._

_Each day holds new discoveries. Imagine what we could have done if we had begun sooner._ It was said as a simple, irrefutable fact. 

Every argument, Ansem’s arguments, held no ground. They were right, and only they could be right.

The words wouldn’t come. He could stop this. Couldn’t he? 

A certain fanfare ringtone caught Ienzo's attention. He suddenly felt angry. He wanted to turn it off. A phone? That didn’t belong here. They were in the labs, they were working, this was what was real! The floor gleamed brighter than Ienzo thought he remembered. Why was the ringtone getting louder? Its shrillness hurt his ears. The floor cracked loudly, it split beneath him and he fell through the brick, toward the falls that flowed in reverse and the rocks and the darkness that rose to swallow him--

Ienzo’s eyes shot open, then regretted it immediately. The tiniest of sunbeams had gotten through the curtains and right into his face. He sat up and shivered. Meanwhile, the fanfare ringtone kept sounding away and vibrating on the side table next to his bed.

Ienzo didn’t bother looking at the phone and picked it up. Any sort of distraction was a welcome one at that point. "Sora, I was just about to call you--"

"Nah, man, it's me!" The voice was enough of a giveaway. Demyx's face flashed onscreen.

"...Demyx. Good morning." Ienzo's voice didn't hold the bitter distaste that his Nobody had employed regularly, but he'd be lying if he said he wanted the former Nocturne to be his morning alarm.

Demyx didn’t seem fazed at all by the fact that Ienzo had clearly just woken up, complete with bedhead and eyes squinting at the screen. He wasn’t wearing his work uniform yet, either. "Come outside, Ienzo! I saw this thing and I have to show you as soon as possible. When you see it you're gonna flip."

"I've barely gotten any work done. I have to decline."

"Well duh, it's only eight-thirty! Dude, at least go out onto the balcony. Please?"

Ienzo sighed. He'd been in bed longer than he thought. "Fine. Just a second." He rushed to the closet to at least put on something more presentable than his current sleeping clothes. A hand ran quickly through his hair, not that it would look much neater, anyway. He made his way to the window, parted the curtains, and opened the large sliding windows that led to the balcony. The sun was bright. Its glow spread over the entirety of the castle’s front grounds, making the dewy flowers below sparkle with the radiance that made the place so famous. Ienzo's arm flew up to shield his face. He felt for the railing and squinted over the edge to see whatever Demyx had been raving about. No sooner had he reached the balcony, loud music bellowed from the castle grounds below. The vocals were brash and powerful, a herald announcing the arrival of a king. Whatever language it was, Ienzo couldn't be certain.

Once Ienzo’s eyes adjusted, he could eventually make out Demyx standing with Lea and Isa. The latter of the three looked not a bit enthused. Demyx, however, was howling.

"Everything the light touches is your kingdom!" Demyx shouted, the music still blaring from Lea's gummiphone held in the air. “Remember who you aaaaaaaare!” Ienzo could see the camera light from Demyx's phone. Apparently someone hadn’t learned when not to use the flash. Lea, however, stood quietly for once, even though he tried very, very hard not to crack up.

"Are you filming me?! Stop that!" he protested. Somewhere around the corner, a barking yell could be heard, followed by Dilan coming around the corner.

“Would you care to remind me _why_ we can’t throw these jokers out?” Dilan grimaced, tapping his lance idly against the brick paved courtyard. Aeleus appeared from around the other corner, axe in hand.

"Aww, but it was perfect! A-And it’s technically not trespassing!" Demyx protested, starting to take a couple of steps back. He glanced pleadingly over his shoulder toward Isa and Lea. “Right guys? Come on, back me up a little? Please? A teensy bit?”

Lea was quick to jump in. “Yeah, exactly! We’re not coming onto the property unannounced. We made sure to call Ienzo first before coming here. It’s exactly per the proper protocol.” He enunciated each letter “p” with grandiosity and grinned widely.

“Something tells me Ienzo wasn’t expecting you,” Aeleus replied. Maybe, for once, he’d have a regular shift where he wouldn’t have to waste his time playing simple gatekeeper. They all had work to do, even the guards. They certainly didn’t stand around all day. Well, maybe Dilan would nod off for a second or two at his post, but Aeleus was always there to discreetly poke (read: punch) him awake again.

Lea’s smile faltered. That explanation should have been foolproof! What would they do now? He looked to the side, only to see Isa staring at him with his arms crossed. He looked tired, very tired, especially now. “Isa, what now?” he whispered.

“Oh, don’t mind me, Lea,” Isa replied, scratching his chin, “I’m just enjoying watching the both of you realizing just how poorly planned and poorly executed this whole thing was. But don’t mind me, I suppose that video really is important for Crownstagram, isn’t it?”

The guards continued their approach, while Demyx and Lea backed up toward Isa, who stood there awaiting the inevitable.

Ienzo called down from the balcony. “Wait! Don’t...don’t worry about it. Dilan, Aeleus, let them in. I’ll be down in a moment to receive them.” In a flash, Ienzo left his room and tore down the stairs, the several flights of stairs, until he reached the courtyard below. He hated to admit that he was out of shape. Running up the stairs would probably wind anyone save for the guards, but going down the stairs was completely different. Dilan was there to meet him at the door. To Ienzo’s embarrassment, he noticed the younger man’s fatigue immediately.

“Remind me to shake you out of bed the next time you’re scheduled to train with me,” Dilan chided. He followed it up with a sharp poke to the other’s shoulder. “At dawn. Before sunrise. No more of this sleeping in business, you understand?”

Something like a whine left Ienzo’s throat while they walked across the courtyard. “Before sunrise? After all the work we do through the day, and after sunset?”

“Precisely.”

Once their three visitors had been ushered into the castle, Aeleus and Dilan activated the automated surveillance bots before following the rest of the group in. Isa walked next to Ienzo this time, his green eyes peeking out over the high collar of his jacket.

“Thanks for the save.”

“It’s no trouble,” Ienzo responded quickly. “I’m usually up by now, but I guess I must have been particularly exhausted last night.”

“And I tried to talk them out of this whole thing, but when Lea gets an idea for something ‘fun’ in his head, it’s a runaway train at that point.”

That earned an emphatic noise of protest from the two in question. “Y’know, uh, we can hear you over here!” Demyx said, pointing between himself and Lea. “And it wasn’t just for the video, I promise.”

“As a matter of fact, we brought you something, Ienzo,” Lea added, holding up a small white box. It was plain, innocuous, and made of cardboard. “Can we sit down in the library? Might require some research.” A wink made it clear that it was not the intended purpose at all.

“Uh...sure, I suppose I have a little time. Lord Ansem and Even are due back today from off-world sometime tonight, so there’s still time to prepare for their arrival.”

“Sounds good to me,” Isa replied.

Dilan and Aeleus continued to follow a couple of paces behind. “Huh, we still have time? We should be lucky the Restoration Committee gave us those automated robots, or we’d never be able to fulfill our duties.”

“It’s fine, considering what they have for him,” Aeleus replied, “And when was the last time we did anything for him?”

They continued down the hallway toward the newly-restored stained glass of the library. Turning the corner, they walked up the spiral staircase. There was a little nook on the upper floor of the library where there was plenty of room to sit and read. It also had a large table, perfect for spreading out multiple sources of information, and occasionally a mug of something warm or a plate of something sweet in Ienzo’s case. The carpet muffled the group’s footsteps, preserving the sacred quietude of the book-lined halls. That is, until, a noisemaker cut through it. From behind a bookshelf, Ansem the Wise walked out, a smile handsomely creasing the sage-king’s features. 

“Happy birthday, little one. I suppose you’re not quite so little anymore, but I refuse to believe it.” Ansem pressed a small envelope into Ienzo’s hands.

In one of the chairs sat Even, holding the noisemaker in his mouth. “He insisted on standing behind the bookshelf,” Even said, gesturing toward Ansem.

“Master! You’re back?!” Ienzo gasped, “When did you come in? I had no idea.” He turned the envelope over in his hands. Even for a birthday card, Ansem always sealed the back with wax and his signet ring.

“Dilan received us. We arrived late last night, long after you were asleep,” Ansem replied. “We were worried that you might intercept us, being that you’re usually up early. But it seems that wasn’t the case for you today, was it?”

Ienzo felt heat rise to his face. It wasn’t really a reprimand, but he felt bad nonetheless. “...I’m sorry. It’s just that I was worried about your return. I hadn’t heard from you or seen any messages that you were on your way back.”

Even got up, holding a white box in his own hands. “I told you not to fret. I was with Lord Ansem the whole time. But please, make yourselves comfortable. Brunch is served.” He set the box down on the table, next to a tea tray. It held a large pot of tea, and another with coffee. Lea brought the other box over.

They spent the next hour or so relaxing and chatting. Ansem spoke of his travels off-world. Even kept a close watch on him as he spoke, making sure the scones on his plate didn’t slide off onto the floor. Demyx was perhaps more than a little excited to show off his master creation on his gummiphone, the reason why he’d risked life and limb to coax Ienzo onto the balcony. Isa and Lea weren’t quite so invested and tried to dissuade him. Demyx showed the screen proudly to the rest gathered, only to despair when he found that the battery had died. A croissant was promptly shoved into his hands, and so he munched.

Ansem insisted that the group eat and drink as they liked and to take leftovers for themselves. Once they had left, escorted by the guards, only Ienzo, Even, and Ansem remained.

“This really wasn’t necessary at all, but...thank you,” Ienzo mused, looking at the cards he’d received.

“Oh yes, it was,” Even countered as he took another sip of coffee. He planned to go straight back to the labs to start working again. He couldn’t be idle for too long, as was the usual for him.

“Agreed,” Ansem followed, “We thought you deserved a little something. You’ve hit many milestones as well, in both your research and in your new duties in governing the Gardens. We’d be very much behind if not for your collaboration with the Restoration Committee and the team based out of Twilight Town. Video conference via gummiphone really does shed weeks off of project planning, indeed. Ah, one more thing.” He pulled something out of his pocket: a ring box.

Ienzo blinked at it, then carefully opened it, revealing a very familiar ring. It was just like the golden signet ring Ansem wore, except this ring was cast in white gold.

“Master…?”

“You’re quite the accomplished young man, Ienzo. Not many can say they have done what you’ve done by their twenty-first year. And you’ve done a fine job of it.”

The younger man slid it snugly onto his pinky finger. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“I will gradually pass more responsibility to you over the next year or two,” Ansem replied, “And then, I will have you take my place.”

Even was busy cleaning up the tea service, but he could tell without looking that Ienzo was still caught off-guard. “And of course, you’ll always have my help as well. I won’t be going anywhere.”

“Exactly. He’s very much used to watching you like a hawk, in any case,” Ansem said. That finally got a smile out of Ienzo.

“I’ll be good.”

Meanwhile, outside at the castle gates, Aeleus watched the backreel of footage from the automated robots on his gummiphone to see if any alerts had slipped by. Everything seemed fine. The early afternoon remained peaceful, much to Dilan’s pleasure. However, toward the end of the footage, a voice could be heard. A familiar one.

“Y’know, I’ve lived many, many times over. But somehow that last body-hop always did it for me. It still bugs me--why was it so damn special? My role was all I had to cling to, and I was fine with that. And then you had to go worming your way into my heart. Gotta give it to you, kid. That’s hard to do. Sometimes I wonder what might have happened if I had just stayed, opted for simple guard life.”

A black hood peered into the robot’s camera, the faintest hint of a yellow eye hidden beneath.

“Too late for that now. Happy birthday.”


End file.
